drawing

DRAH-ing/ˈdɹɑ.ɪŋ/UKDRAW-ing/ˈdɹɔː.ɪŋ/AUSDRAW-ring/ˈdɹɔː.ɹɪŋ/

6 meanings of drawing

1
artwork (piece)nouncountable
A picture, likeness, or diagram, usually made with pencil or pen on paper.
He kept a faded drawing of the old farmhouse above his desk.
The architect's drawings showed every room in fine detail.
UsageSay a drawing of something. People make or do a drawing, or simply draw something.
Similarsketch, picture, illustration, diagram
Note
In technical writing the word reaches well beyond art. Brian Hayes, in American Scientist (2012), sets drawings beside blackboard sketches, geological maps and diagrams of molecular structure. Tim Dunn (2021) pairs plans, maps and drawings of Underground projects. It is the ordinary word for an engineer's or architect's sheet as much as an artist's, and in that company it usually turns up in the plural.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Brian Hayes's passage appeared in American Scientist in 2012. americanscientist.org
Hayes discusses drawings alongside blackboard sketches, geological maps and molecular-structure diagrams. americanscientist.org
In 2021 Tim Dunn grouped plans, maps and drawings when describing Underground projects. railmagazine.com
2
action itselfverb
Present participle and gerund of draw.
She spent the whole evening drawing portraits of the guests.
Drawing water from the well, he slowly filled the bucket.
Note
The participle has its own history, separate from the noun it now matches: Old English dragende became Middle English drawende and drawand, then was reshaped to end in -ing, the ending the noun also carries. Today the two share one spelling, but only the nouns take a plural, as in drawings or prize drawings. The verb form never does, which is a quick test of which word a sentence holds.
Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
The participial ending and the noun-forming ending have separate histories despite converging in spelling. en.wikipedia.org
The participle descends from Old English dragende through Middle English drawende and drawand, subsequently altered to forms ending in -ing. en.wiktionary.org
3
noununcountable
The art or act of making pictures or diagrams with lines, usually with a pencil or pen.
The first-year course covers drawing, sculpture, and printmaking.
Her command of drawing impressed the gallery owner immediately.
UsageAs a skill it usually takes no a: good at drawing, study drawing, a class in drawing.
4
lotterynouncountable
An event in which a winner is chosen at random, typically by drawing a name or number from a container such as a hat.
Her ticket was picked in last night's prize drawing.
Officials held the drawing live on television at nine o'clock.
UsageA drawing is held, and you win something in it: won a bike in the drawing. Also called a draw.
Similarraffle, lottery

Less common meanings

5
nouncountable or uncountable
The process of pulling or stretching something out, such as pulling wire through a die.
The drawing of the sword from its sheath made a sharp ring.
Steel rods are thinned by the repeated drawing of metal through a die.
Similarpulling, extraction
6
noun
A small portion of tea leaves measured out for steeping.

drawing is a form of draw

draw, verb: To produce a figure, line, picture, or other representation using a pencil, pen, crayon, chalk, or similar instrument. Full entry

Forms: drawdraws he/she/itdrawing -ing formdrew past tensedrawn past participle
Spelling: draw → drawing: add -ing

Practice

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Origins

Meaning 2

From Middle English drauinge, drawinge, an alteration of earlier drawende, from Old English dragende, the present participle of dragan ("to drag, draw"), from Proto-Germanic *draganą; it is equivalent to "draw" plus "-ing."

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

The participial form drawing comes through Middle English drauinge and drawinge, altered from drawende, from Old English dragende. en.wiktionary.org
Old English dragende is the present participle of Old English dragan. Its Proto-Germanic ancestor *dragandz is the present participle of *draganą. en.wiktionary.org
Proto-Germanic *draganą means to draw or pull. en.wiktionary.org
Drawing is equivalent to draw plus -ing. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1, 3–5

From Middle English drauing, drawing, equivalent to "draw" plus "-ing."

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Drawing comes from Middle English drauing, drawing. en.wiktionary.org
Its formation is equivalent to draw plus -ing. en.wiktionary.org